Together We Shall Last
by WolfShadow96
Summary: Link wakes up in a strange world where doom and despair hang in the air, where people kill each other to survive and strange creatures roam the planet. Link meets a group of survivors who are on mission to transport a girl who could be the key to saving the world.
1. Last Hope

Hello welcome to my new fic and I hope you enjoy it! I'm also doing a Legend of Zelda x Fairy Tail if any are interested. I do not own The Legend of Zelda series or The Last of Us they belong to their respective owners. Lastly what do you guys think of the name of this story I'm not to sure about it. Anyways enjoy!

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Chapter 1 Last Hope

In an old decrepit city that has been long since abandoned except by the new inhabitants of this world, a lone figure was walking in the middle of the street littered with abandoned cars. This city was once bustling with people going about their daily lives at least that was before the outbreak. It took the world by storm turning ordinary men, women, and children in monsters bent on attacking their own kind and converting more to their cause.

This lone figure was a young man, he stood at five feet six inches and was dressed in a brown cloak that had seen quite a bit of use which was made obvious due to all the rips in the fabric. Under the cloak he wore some strange clothes at least by this time's standards, he had on a green tunic that some would have mistaken it for a dress with a white long sleeve shirt underneath. On his arms he wore pair of leather gauntlets and on his legs he wore some gray pants accompanied by a pair of well worn leather boots. He had a youthful look to him and had long dirty blonde that was tied up into a ponytail that was covered by a rather strange-looking hat. Lastly he had long pointed ears with a blue earring on each ear and deep blue oceanic eyes. This young man was named Link

It's been three weeks since Link found himself in this strange world, all he remembers was taking a nap in Lon Lon Ranch under a shady tree and when he finally woke up he was in the middle of some woods. At first he thought it was a prank played on him by Malon and Zelda but soon came to the conclusion he was in another world, it was either that or he just slept for a really long time which he quickly dismissed, when he got a look of a nearby abandoned town that was old and rundown, but had things he had never seen granted none of it worked nor did he know what was their use. It was also the place where some assholes tried to take his stuff and attacked him with a type of bow and arrow they called a 'gun'. Unfortunately Link had to kill them otherwise they would keep chasing him or worse attack a bunch of defenseless travelers.

In those three weeks he had no real direction or had any clue on how to get home, the only thing he had was his triforce which to his surprise was acting like a compass pointing him in the right direction. For example if the triforce of courage lit up white instead of gold it meant go right, for wisdom it meant left, for power it meant straight ahead, and if the middle piece lit up it meant go back which it rarely did. Never the less it told Link that the Goddesses had sent him here to complete a task and they were pointing him in the right direction. But, the only question was what sort of task did they want him to complete.

As he continued to walk down the streets his triforce began to glow and it was pointing to a large building that was a block away. Assuming he was almost there he sprinted the rest of the way.

Now in front of this building he noticed that the his triforce was still pointing straight ahead but it was glowing dimly. Believing that his objective had alluded him he let out a sigh out of frustration and it wasn't till he raised his hand to wipe the sweat that formed on his forehead that he realized his objective wasn't moving away he was just not at the same elevation. His theory was proven right when he raised his hand higher up the building only to see the triforce of power glow brightly. Realizing he was so close and not wanting to have to potentially fight his way through some weird redead variation he dubbed 'clickers' he reached behind his back to pull out two strange blue and purple contraptions with sharp diamond like hooks before aiming one of them at a higher point of the building.

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Meanwhile inside the building two women were running for their lives with a small horde of infected hot on their tail. The older woman was caucasian and looked to be in her early forties. She had long curly brown hair that was up in a ponytail and wore a red short sleeve button up shirt with a black undershirt, black jeans, and a pair of boots with a medium sized brown backpack. Her name name was Tess and currently she was on a job to transport a teenager named Ellie who may or may not be humanity's last hope. Ellie was a young girl standing at five feet three inches, she had very youthful features which led to some mistaking her for being twelve years old rather than her actual age of fourteen. She had brown straight hair and emerald green eyes. She was dressed in a red shirt with a faded picture of palm trees over a dark gray long sleeve undershirt, a pair of dirty ragged jeans, a pair of sneakers and a small backpack.

They continued to run with all their might, their breaths were ragged and their legs were in pain urging them to slow down but they had too much adrenaline in their veins to even feel it. Once they got to a flight of stairs they scale it with incredible speed and found an open door up ahead on their right which would be their safe haven so they could catch their breaths and hold out for backup.

Unfortunately once they got in they were greeted by more infect that noticed them and were now charging them. Tess took out her pistol and began firing on the incoming infected. However there was too many for one person to take and to make matters worse she had to protect Ellie restricting her from moving however she wanted to. While Tess was doing her best to hold out and down as many as she could one of the bastards came at her blind side.

"Tess watch out!" Ellie shrieked but it was too late as the infected had just gotten his hand on her. As Tess continued to struggle and get the damn thing off her she realized she wasn't strong enough to stop the inevitable and closed her eyes preparing herself for what was to come. Except it never came in fact she felt the runner loosen its grip and fall to the ground.

She let out a sigh of relief "Thank god you got here in time Joel." She said believing Joel had made it in time but when she opened her eyes she saw the runner not with a bullet in it's head but a arrow. "What the hell!" She added. The sound of bodies hitting the ground soon followed in quick succession and soon the whole area was clear each one with an arrow in their heads.

"Are you two alright?" A sudden voice came out of nowhere. The two turned their attention to a young man who was by an open window with a bow in his left hand and a quiver on his back.

"Yeah I'm alright, what about you Ellie" She asked slightly worried that she got hurt.

"Yeah I'm good but you really saved our asses back there dude!" She exclaimed thankful that someone helped Tess. Even though they weren't friends she was just glad she didn't have to see some else die in front of her.

"That's a relief" Link said. He was slightly disturbed by her use of such a vulgar word but decided not to comment on it. He began to make his way toward them until they heard a gunshot outside of the room one second followed by someone bursting into the room the next second.

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Joel was hurrying as fast as he could trying to get to Tess and Ellie while at the same time not trying to draw attention from the clickers on the floor he was on. Luckily he was able to get by without firing a single shot and through a door on the far side of the hall way. This room had a flight of stairs to his left and he could hear banging on the next floor followed by some muffled screaming. Fearing the worst he quicken his pace and got to the next floor to see a single runner knocking on a door trying to get in. The runner was too focused on the door to notice Joel coming from behind and driving a shiv into it's skull. Now that the runner was taken care of he turned his attention to the closed door and gathering his strength he lunged forward and forced it open.

Joel was a tall man standing at about five feet eleven inches and was in his mid to late fourties with graying black hair and beard. He was dressed in a green button up shirt and black pants accompanied by some boots, a brown backpack and a broken watch on his left wrist.

As soon as he got in he saw that Tess and Ellie were okay but saw a young man with blonde hair with his bow drawn. Believing this kid was a threat he pointed his gun at him.

"Put down the bow son and nobody will get hurt." He said slightly uneasy by the kids harden glare and his lack of fear in the face of a gun.

"Joel put your gun down!" Tess shouted angrily but Joel didn't seem to acknowledge it. "Joel! I said put your gun down this kid helped us!" She added and this time she saw he got the message.

They continued to stare at each other before giving a nod as if they were having a silent conversation and saying 'I won't hurt you unless you try something' before they lowered their weapons. Their expressions soften and the two girls let out sighs of relief.

Link was glad they were able to settle this little misunderstanding without any violence and began to make his way to the group when he noticed his triforce glowing even brighter the closer he got. The group were slightly disturbed by this but none more so than Joel who already had his hand on his gun waiting to see what he was going to do. Link was now in front of them and the light was so bright it was almost blinding, believing his objective was now in front of him he raised his hand and passed it by Tess and Joel as if he was scanning them. Then when he put his hand in front of Ellie the triforce glowed a bright gold and then he heard a voice.

'Protect her she is the key to save this world.' Was what he heard in his mind. He was glad he now had some direction but also curious as to what her role in this is.

"Okay anyone else just a little creeped out by this?" Ellie asked feeling a little awkward by this stranger's glowing hand and his smile that was now plastered on his face.

"Sorry about that I'm just glad I found you." He said slightly embarrassed while rubbing the back of his head earning a confused look from Ellie and Joel and an amused look from Tess. "My name is Link by the way." He added earning a confused look from all three.

"Link that's a mighty strange name." Joel said looking at Link with a questioning look wondering if that's his real name but then again it didn't really matter.

"Link really?" Ellie asked him to which he gave a nod. "What is that a code name? That's so cool! I want a code name too maybe something like like The Crusher or Super Gal!" She proclaimed Link was slightly confused by why this girl would think he was using a code name.

"Well anyways Link thanks for the save. The name's Tess, short pint here is Ellie and the quick draw here is Joel." She said pointing to the members of her group. "We've got a job to do so see ya."

"Then I'm coming with you." He said right away with a firm resolve.

"No way!" Joel yelled. "Now listen here son we already have one kid to look after we don't need another one getting in the way!" Link winced from Joel's yelling due to his sensitive hearing

"I understand but whether you like it or not I'm coming with you I must protect her at all costs." He said calmly and through his tone it was clear he wouldn't take no for an answer. Tess was amused that some kid just challenged Joel and also by how bold this kid was by what she believed was his confession to Ellie and it looked like she wasn't the only one.

"Look dude I'm glad you helped us and all but that doesn't mean I'm your girl now!" Ellie yelled angrily with a slight blush

Link was confused as to how she came to that conclusion until he released how he worded what he said. "S-sorry I didn't mean it that way!" He exclaimed clearly flustered. Ellie just gave him a skeptical look that said 'Of course you didn't'

"C'mon Joel let the kid come with us I like his moxie besides he can clearly handle himself." Tess suddenly spoke up trying to persuade Joel.

Joel sighed in agitation wanting not to aggravate his now present headache. "Fine but he's your responsibility" He said before walking towards a collapsed wall at the end of the room with Ellie close behind

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He said as he quickly went to retrieve any reusable arrows from any of the infected.

Tess didn't know exactly why she stuck up for the kid because she knew Joel was right they didn't need another kid with them causing problems. Maybe because he was skilled enough with that bow of his to take care of himself and to watch their backs if needed or maybe because she found this kid interesting. Well for whatever the reason she felt like there was something special about this kid.

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They had been traveling for about an hour without any problems so far and things were beginning to look up. The sun had just risen shinning it's magnificent golden rays upon the earth and the weather was just perfect. They were practically a few minutes from the capitol building and had decided it was okay to relax since the past hour was filled of nothing exciting or any real verbal interaction within the group.

"So I got to ask whats with the dress?" Ellie asked Link who was busy listening to something out in the distance, but looked at her clearly annoyed while Joel and Tess got a good laugh out of it.

"It's not a dress it's a tunic." He said almost robotically it was as if he had to explain this countless times.

"Okay what about the ears?" She asked in the same tone.

"I was born with them." He said flatly and taking more interest with the sounds around him.

"Alright last questions do your ears give you better hearing? What was up with your glowing hand? And where's your bow?" She asked with extreme interest and even Joel and Tess listened in curious as to what that glowing was and where he put his bow since one moment it was there and the next it was gone.

"From what I can tell my hearing is more sensitive than yours, meaning I can hear things from further away and even minor noises you guys might miss. As for the last two those are confidential." He said not wanting to reveal his adventure pouch or his purpose for being her but who would believe him anyway.

"Really let's put that hearing to the test then *mumbles*." Tess said deciding to put Links claim to the test.

"It's a tunic!" He replied in frustration. Everyone in the group got a laugh out of it and it helped confirm his claim.

"That's so cool I wish I had a super power." Ellie said as thought about what kinda power she would want.

"Alright now settle down we're almost there." Joel chirped in trying to get everyone back on had just jumped down from the building they were on and landed on a platform with a flight of stair leading down to some kinda back area. They had gone down and saw that the alley was blocked off but thanks to a nearby dumpster they were able to get over it and once they dropped down the capitol building was only a few feet away.

The street they were on was was not only littered with abandoned cars but also flooded with water that was a green color and had algae on top. The capitol building was a grand looking building, it was big and luxurious which was a good indication that this building was once important. It was a building made up of stone with a dome like top that while not as big as some of the other buildings around it, it was still pretty massive.

"Um guys I guess it's a good time to mention that I can't swim." Ellie announced but luckily for her someone in the group already had a solution.

"Stick towards the right the water is more shallow there." Tess responded without missing a beat and putting Ellie at ease.

They continued on their way until they reached the stone steps of the capitol building and began to make their way up. With each step Ellie took her heart raced faster and faster in anticipation and anxiety. Each step was like a hurdle, she hoped that the Fireflies that were waiting on her were still alive. It wasn't long until they were in front of the big heavy wooden doors of the capitol building.

"Alright this is it." Joel said. He took in a big breath before reaching for the door handle and pushing the door open.

Everyone went in and were greeted by a large circular room with multiple marble columns equally spread out into a circle or would have if some of those columns hadn't already collapsed. The columns were used in order to support the very visible second floor and a pair of double doors across the room, but what really caught their attention were the corpses that were scattered around the room.

"Jesus." Joel practically whispered putting his hand to his forehead in exasperation

"No No No god fucking damn it!" Ellie screamed pacing back and forth trying to keep her frustration under control.

"Ellie calm down." Tess said trying to calm her down.

"No they were our only chance to save the world! Now what are we gonna do?!" Ellie screamed back

"No you mean what are you going to do." Joel answered causing Link's and Ellie's eyes to shoot open that he was just gonna abandon them. "Our job was to transport you here and we did so you're not our responsibility any more." He added sounding as cold as ice and was about to open his mouth again to add more fuel to the fire until he was interrupted.

"We have to move now!" Link yelled as he sprinted off to the door across the room everyone looking at him with a confused look which he noticed as soon as he reached the door. "We've got people in coming c'mon we need to move!"

Remembering that their pointy eared companion had incredibly acute hearing they ran after him and entered the next room which had two two stairways one of which was blocked off as if trying to keep something out and the other was completely clear. Deciding to go up the stairway on the left they rushed up onto the balcony at the same time that some soldiers broke down the door.

"Nice going son." Joel said thankful that they were able to avoid that little headache but now the only problem now was getting out because he heard them say they received a report about two adult and one kid being seen in this area meaning they were after them and that there were more in the building. "Just great." He muttered under his breath wondering why they even took this job. "Alright, everyone stay down and move quietly." He whispered to them and got three nods in return.

They moved quickly and quietly through the next room that had a podium and various tables scattered around picking up anything of use they found on their way. They were soon met with a broken wall at the far side of the room with a makeshift ramp that led to another broken adjacent wall which they all jumped.

They were now in another room it was small and only contained a table a few pictures and some chairs. To the left were two open pathways, but in between them was a two dead fireflies each holding onto what looked like a rifle

"Well looks like they won't be needing these." Joel said as he ripped one rifle from one corpse and Tess did the same. Now decked out with their new rifles they began to proceed forward when Link heard some voices moving towards their location from both sides.

"Damn, everyone we've got people incoming from both sides." He said loud enough for them to hear and avoid detection. Once he said that every one went for cover in hopes of getting both sides by surprise. Link got an idea on how to deal with their attacker in front and reached behind him to pull out an item. He pulled out a cute looking mouse like device that was blue and yellow that was big enough that you'll need two hands in order to carry it properly. The others noticed it and gave him a weird look.

"Link this is no time to play." Joel whispered pissed of that they were being flanked from both side and Link was just playing around, but Link paid him no mind as he wound it up and pointed it in the direction of the door across the hall and began to move towards it quickly.

"Let's move now." He said as he sprinted towards a room that was further up and on the left,the others believing he knew what he was doing chased after him.

By the time they got to the door a group of soldiers were already pointing their guns at them. "Freez-" He was about to yell until a little mouse came up to them glowing red and then finally exploded revealing itself to be an explosive in disguised taking out the whole squad. The group stood there shocked until Link brought them back to their senses.

"C'mon we have to go."He said urgently now with his bow out firing at the soldiers that had just come from behind where they originally were killing two and injuring one in his arm in the process. Joel and Tess took notice of the three remaining and with the help of Link dispatched of them quickly.

"Damn kid I appreciated the assist but that explosion could have given away our position and who knows how many more are coming!" Joel yelled fuming that they might have to deal with even more soldiers but mostly because he almost had a heart attack.

"Yeah kid don't you know explosives are dangerous, hand them over." Tess said in an annoyed tone but Link stood there a moment as if contemplating whether he should until finally reached behind him to hand her a piece of paper. On the paper it said he was legally certified to handle explosive and was signed by The Boss of the Gorons Darunia himself. "Link this ain't funny" She said as she attempt search him.

"Leave it be for now Tess we've got to get out of here first." Joel stopped her knowing that they didn't have time for this.

They continued forward and down a level to get to back on to the first floor. On the first floor there a long room with two tables next to each other both of which had table cloths over them. On the floor was a red carpet and a chandelier overhead.

Link heard some soldiers entering the building and advised to use the tables as cover. Joel and Tess took up firing positions and took down any soldiers that were in their sights while Link used the cover fire to move forward and took down any stragglers trying to flank them. Once that was done they made their way to the rear exit of the capitol building.

Now outside Joel turned back to the kids and said. "Looks like this is where we get off-" He cut himself off as he noticed Link's expression, it wasn't a sad expression or even one of anger but one as if he was listening to something and Joel knew what this meant. "You hear something?" He asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah I hear a something coming from that direction and it's moving fast." He said pointing to the right of the street it was empty but not for long as a military vehicle began charging their position.

"Shit!" Joel yelled as he tried to figure out how to get out of this situation until he noticed a subway tunnel nearby. "Everyone in the tunnel!" He yelled as he sprinted into the tunnel. Link was the last one in the tunnel and by the time he got in the vehicle was already at the entrance firing at them. Link quickly took out his Hylian shield in order to defend against the bullets. Even with his shield there to deflect bullets it still hurt like hell, however he didn't have to hold out for long as they were all able to get out of the vehicle's line of fire.

Putting down his shield he went to inspect it for any damage but saw it was virtually unscaved. 'Gotta love Goron ingenuity.' He thought with a smile on his face as he put his shield back in his cloak.

"Whoa where did you get the shield? Can I see it." Ellie asked wondering how he had so much equipment on him on isn't being slowed down. The others we're wondering the same.

"I've always had it and no." Link gave a quick answer not wanting to continue the conversation about his stuff. Although Ellie wasn't happy about not getting to see the shield.

"If you two are done playing around we can move on. It looks like we'll be traveling together for a little longer." Joel said he clearly wasn't too thrilled about it.

"C'mon you too" Tess spoke up as she followed after Joel with Link and Ellie not to far behind.

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Hope you enjoyed it and leave a review to let me know what you think. Hope to see you guys in the next chapter.


	2. Time to Pay the Bill

Hey guys sorry I haven't updated in awhile stuff happened and I'll have to make this short as I have to be some where. Consider this a New Year's Eve present and I wish all of you a Happy New Years.

As always I don't know the Legend of Zelda or the Last of Us.

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Chapter 2: Time To Pay The Bill

After narrowly avoiding getting turned into Swiss cheese by a military vehicle the four continued their way down into the subway. They continued, forward but had to stop when they rounded a corner they saw some yellow mist coming from further down the hall.

"Damn, spores!" Joel said as he took his backpack off and began rummaging through it for something.

"Tell me about it! Alright you two gas masks on!" She yelled back as she did the same as Joel

"Gas...Mask, what's that?" Link spoke up seemingly not understanding what they were talking about. Everybody turned their attention to him their eyes wide because for one how doesn't he know what a gas mask is and two that without one he'll have to find a another way around or they'll have to leave him behind.

Tess reached into her bag to get her mask and turned around to show him a black mask with two big circles where the eyes would be and a blue canister attached to it. "This kid, this is a gas mask." Tess answered him still in disbelief that anyone would be on the outside without one.

Suddenly a look of realization crossed his face as he reached behind him to pull out a similar mask. "Oh I have one! I just didn't know it was called a gas mask." He quickly put it on and then they were on their way.

They were now close to the subway platform when Link heard some soldiers up ahead. "Guys we've got company up ahead." He told them. Now alert they got close to the left wall and inched their way to the doorway on the left. The doorway led to a platform and now the whole group could hear the clattering of footsteps on the tiled floor. They quickly hid behind some chairs to observe the situation. Luckily there were only two soldiers and thanks to the spores visibility was low so they could avoid detection. The Soldiers however weren't so lucky because the flashlights they were using not only lighted their way but it also made them easier to spot.

Joel so happened to notice Ellie without a mask. "How the hell can you breathe this stuff?" He asked dumbfounded. Ellie only gave him a simple 'I don't know'. 'Well I guess she wasn't lying about being immune afterall.' He thought.

"Alright Joel you take the one on the left and I take the one on the right." Tess said and with a quick nod from Joel they put the plan in motion. Taking out their guns they shot both Soldiers in the head.

"Phew that was easy." Ellie said as they all got out of their hiding spot and proceeded to move forward.

"What is this?" Link asked as soon as he got a clear look at a large metal snake like object. He had a serious look on his face as if he was about to go into battle.

Everyone became alert and went to see what he was talking about but calmed down when they noticed he was only pointing at a train. "Calm down kid it's only a train." Tess answered him looking kinda annoyed that he startled them for no reason.

"Train, what's a train?" He asked clearly interested by this contraption.

Tess sighed in response not wanting to give an explanation but did anyways. "A train was a vehicle used back in the day to get to places really fast." From his expression alone it was clear Link was enamored by trains. He interest was bolstered further when they entered the train and he got a clear look at just how long it was and how many people could ride in one. He was also upset that he may never be able to ride in one and made a promise that when he saves this world the first thing he'll do is ride on one once it was all rebuilt.

As they continued down the train they were met with another obstacle and Ellie's greatest nemesis, water. "Guy's remember I can't swim!" Ellie yelled reminding them of her little problem.

"Don't worry I see a walkway over here! You should be fine!" Tess yelled back.

Before anyone entered the water they heard some rustling coming from the back as if someone was taking some clothing off. Turning around they saw Link taking his cloak off. Everyone watched with interest as they would finally get to see what he was carrying behind his back. To their confusion there wasn't a bow or a quiver full of arrows or even any indication as to where he kept his mouse bomb. There was just a sword and shield strapped to his back and a few small pouches attached to his belt.

Link turned to look at them with a questioning look. "What?" He asked.

"Where's your bow?" Ellie asked him trying to figure Link out.

Link stayed quiet for a moment as if contemplating whether he should tell them the truth and seeing that he was pretty much busted saw no harm in hiding it anymore besides if they did anything he was confident he could take them out or get away before they could do anything. Reaching behind him and into his pouch he pulled out his bow along with a deku nut in case things got nasty. Everyone stared with wide eyes as a bow materialized from one of his small pouches.

"My adventure pouch allows me to storage a large amount of items in it no matter how big or how heavy without any changes to it's overall weight." He said as he pointed to his pouch while everyone listened in complete shock. Waiting to see if anybody tried anything he slowly put back his bow and deku nut. "Any questions?"

"Yeah just how is that possible?" Joel as asked still not believing what he was hearing and seeing.

"Magic." Link replied simply

"But, there's no such thing as magic." Joel argued. He was clearly a non believer.

"Well it exists. Now let's get moving" He said as he went ahead brushing past them and jumped into the water leaving everyone to wonder what else he kept in there.

Now on the other side Link took a look around while he waited for everyone else. He didn't find anything of interest except for another passage that was flooded with curiousity got the better of him and he quickly checked the area, but other than a few things here and there, there was nothing of interest. By the time he swam back he saw that everyone was already there trying to figure out how to get across the subway to reach the exit.

On the other side of the subway there were some stairs leading up and hopefully to an exit that hadn't already caved in. The only problem was the water was too low to allow them to climb up and Ellie couldn't swim.

"Look there's a ladder." Joel said shining his light at a metal object that laid on the other side of the subway.

"Now just how do we get to it? Kid got anything in that pouch of yours?" Tess asked him as she eyed his pouch.

Link thought about it for a while and while he knew he did have something he needed to fulfill two conditions one get across and two get Ellie safely across. He remembered they were in a closed space so it may work but he needed to see where he was aiming. "Can one of you shine your light at the ceiling." He told them to which they complied and at the same time they wondered what he was gonna pull out of his pouch. With the light now shining on the ceiling he saw that it looked fairly solid albeit it had a few cracks, but it should do. Pulling out his long shot he took aim at the ceiling and launched a metal hook into the ceiling. Tugging on it to make sure it was secured he looked over at Ellie. "Ellie come here." He ordered. She was hesitant but she did as she was told. Putting an arm around her waist he said. "Hold on tight". As he let go of the longshot's trigger the chain retracted propelling them forward and using their forward momentum he swung them across and landed on the other side.

WIth Link's arm around her waist Ellie was gonna protest but didn't even get a chance to scream when she felt herself being propelled over the gap at incredible speeds that she wasn't prepared for. With the two on the other side Ellie took a moment to right herself while Link positioned the ladder. Two splashes were heard as Joel and Tess took to the water and swam to the ladder.

Ellie was fuming and moved to give Link a piece of her mind. "You jerk! Give a girl a little heads up next time!" She yelled with a light pink tint in her cheeks but was undetectable due to the spores.

"Alright you two kiss and makeup cuz we have to go!" Tess said as she with an amused smirk under her mask and Joel close behind.

"Ew gross! With this guy no way!" Ellie's face was now a bright red as she walked on unbeknownst to anyone Link was also blushing heavily.

It wasn't long until they were outside the subway. The sun was still shining brightly and it was a warm welcome compared to the dark, flooded, spore ridden subway. It was at this point that the group got into another argument.

"Okay now where do we go from here?" Ellie asked Joel who was sitting on a nearby rock.

"Like I said 'we' are not going anywhere! You need to figure out what you're gonna do!" Joel yelled back, he was clearly irritated

"What really asshole! Humanity's last hope is right in front of you and you won't do a thing to help me!" Ellie was fuming. Joel was an asshole in her opinion, how could he not want to help save humanity.

"Look how do we know if this lab even still exists! I'm not getting myself killed for something that may not even be there anymore! " He yelled back "Besides you got your boyfriend over there!" He added which made Ellie livid with anger.

"Joel I understand you don't want to die no one does, but look around you." Link said in a serious tone while motioning to the desolate city around them. "Is this how you want to live? To live knowing you could die tomorrow, to live another moment in this nightmare, to live knowing you could have done something to end this. I know what you're thinking 'What if we get her there but they can't make a cure' then at the very least we tried!" Link shouted trying to persuade Joel to help them but he looked like he wouldn't budge. He let out a sigh and then turned to Tess "What about you Tess!" She looked conflicted. While she agreed with Joel to an extent she also wanted her guns, but mostly because was she willing to doom the human race so she could live or would she transport Ellie at the risk of dying so that this nightmare would end.

Tess stood there for a few moment in deep contemplation until finally. "Joel I'm going with them." She said firmly. Link and Ellie beamed while Joel was shocked to say the least and was about to retort when Tess decided to add this. "Besides what are the chances of us getting back into the city in one piece. What with all the infected back there and the military after us." Joel groaned in defeat, she was right. Even with the two of them getting back in after what happened would be almost impossible, but if it was just him it would be suicide.

"Fine but you." He said sternly while pointing to Ellie "You do what we tell you when we tell you alright." He added.

"Alright. Now where do we go from here." Ellie said this time only slightly pissed off.

"We know a guy who lives near here. His name's Bill hopefully he can give us a car" Joel answered getting up from his resting place.

"Just to warn you guys Bill's a little strange and takes sometime to get use to." Tess said as she and Joel began walking away leaving the two youths to ponder as to how strange Bill is.

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It's been a few hours since they left boston and thankfully things had been going smoothly, no people trying to kill them nor was there any large amount of infected giving them trouble. They were just about near Bill's home a few meters in fact and the group decided it was okay to take a quick break. Everyone with the exception of Link were visibly tired, years of running around trying to save the world would do that to you, and sitting down on some rocks drinking some water and eating little scraps of dried food.

"Kid.. how the hell.. are you not tired?" Joel said through gasps after taking a deep chug out of his canteen.

"I'm just used to traveling." Link replied as he wiped some light sweat off his brow but looked virtually fine like he could continue traveling for a full day and still be fine. "We should get moving soon. I'll scout ahead." He added as he walked ahead.

"Man what's up with him!" Ellie exclaimed leaning on her palms.

"I know what you mean, he doesn't act like some regular kid." Tess added as she recalled when Link saved them and when he fought in the capitol building he always looked so confident and so sure of his actions he executed everything without flaw or doubt even when taking a life. She wondered what happened to him to make him this way, granted they were in an apocalypse but she's never seen any kid do what he could. Most kids were arugant and reckless, but Link was humble and cautious.

"Yea beside what else do you reckon he has in his pouch?" Joel joined in the conversation still sitting on a nearby rock. "So far we've seen his bow, a mouse bomb, and a grappling hook." He added which got everyone wondering what else could be in there.

They didn't have long to think because Link had already come back. "Hey there's a gate up ahead!" He announced now returning to camp. "Are you guys ready to move out?"

The others groaned in response but got up anyways knowing it was best not to stay in one place for too long lest they be found by some infected. It only took a few minutes till they reached the gate that Link was talking about. It was a tall fence with barbed wire at the top, put in place to stop intruders from climbing the fence and it was locked with a chain and lock.

"Looks like we'll need to find another way in." Joel said exasperated as he rubbed his temple trying to nurse his splitting headache. 'Things can never be easy can they.' He thought.

"Alright everyone look around for a way around." Tess said taking one last quick look at the fence to see if there was any way through when she noticed the lock was rusty. 'Maybe with enough force we could bust it open.' She thought before her eyes widen in realization that they had their very own explosives expert nearby. "Link come over here!" She shouted

Link had went with Joel and Ellie to look for another way marveling at Ellie's innocence due to some measly fireflies, he thought they were little fairies but it was dismissed when he got a closer look and saw they were just bugs. Out of nowhere he heard Tess calling him and he went to see what she wanted. "What is it?" He asked calmly.

"This." Tess said pointing to the rusted lock. "Can you use one of your mouse bombs to blow it up?" Link rose a questioning eyebrow at her as to why it would be necessary.

"First off it's called a bombachu, second I could, but not only would we be drawing a lot of attention to ourselves, but we would also allow anyone who heard it to waltz on in. Besides this Bill must have more than one way to get in and out." He said while looking at the lock and noticing that it hadn't been touched for a long time.

Tess was mentally scolding herself for not thinking about the consequences but also because a fourteen year old just destroyed her idea. Maybe she was just worn out from the day's events or maybe she was just growing impatient, heaven knows she hadn't gotten much sleep last night. She was drawn out of her thoughts by Joel.

"Hey you two get over here!" He yelled from atop of a shed with Ellie right next to him. Tess and Link hurried to their position and by the time they got there Ellie had just finished crossing a wooden plank that was placed on top of the shed and on another building inside the fence to make a makeshift bridge.

Once everyone was over they all jumped down from the building they were on and were greeted with the sight of a broken down blue pickup truck and another building parallel to the one they got off of. To their left was another fence but it had an opening big enough for a full grown adult to fit in and beyond the gate one see could what looked like a town.

They moved to the opening in the fence, Joel going first followed by Tess, Ellie, and then Link. The opening was a steep drop into a back area with multiple brick buildings around, a old worn down couch to their left and a very visible gate up ahead. Before they proceeded any further the group stopped and turned to Link.

"You hear anything kid?" Joel asked. Link looked like he was annoyed probably because they were starting to rely on him too much, now he knew he had better hearing than any of them but that doesn't mean they could use him like a dog.

"There's two nearby one in the shed and another further to the right, but you guys need to stop relying on me so often!" Link loudly whispered trying his best to keep his voice as quiet as possible so as not to draw attention.

"Sorry dude but we don't have those megaears." Ellie apologized sincerely. Joel and Tess looked just as sorry but Ellie was right, if they concentrated hard enough they may have been able to hear the clickers but Link's hearing had helped them quite a few times and informed them of danger long before they encountered it that they just trusted it over their own senses.

"Yea kid we're sorry." Tess said with Joel nodding in agreement.

Link let out a sigh. "It's alright just don't make this into a habit." He said trying to clear his mind and get back to the task at hand. "Okay wait here I got this." Link then reached into his pouch to pull out his bow and arrows. He grabbed a nearby bottle and threw it at metal door that was near the shed, the noise from the impact attracted both clickers making both of them easy pickings. With the task done they were able to continue unhindered

They went inside the nearby buildings to scavenge for what they could before heading to the gate. The gate itself was nothing special it was just like the rest except the fact that this one was blocked by a pipe instead of a chain and on the top of the fence a small section didn't have any barbed wire on top, but it was too high for a person to reach alone.

"Joel lift me up there." Ellie told Joel, but he wasn't having any of that.

"No way kid! Let Link go, unlike you he can handle himself!" He replied in a stern voice, but it only pissed her off.

"Hey I'm just as good as elf boy here! Maybe if you'd just give me a gun I could show you!" The two continued to argue back and forth. Link was about to speak up and try to end this pointless bickering but Tess beat him to the punch.

"Enough you two!" She yelled at them which got them to stop and then looked at Ellie. "Look Ellie I know you want to help but Link's the better option." Her voice now soft and comforting. Ellie was about to protest again but Tess stopped her. "Link has already proven himself and if something happened to you this would all be for nothing." Ellie didn't like it but, Link had already shown what he was capable of and had no choice but to back off.

Link didn't like this not one bit while he knew Ellie was precious cargo and had to be protected at all cost it still wasn't right to deny her the chance to do something for the group. In a way it reminded him of his early adventures when nobody took him seriously because he was just a little boy when in fact he was just as capable if not more so than anyone else. Than an idea popped in his head. "How about we both go. Ellie can unlock the door while I watch her back."

Joel sighed in irritation clearly he just wanted to get going already. "Alright. Just hurry up okay." Both Joel and Tess got into position and lifted both of the teens high enough for both of them to climb over the fence. The instance they landed Link nocked an arrow onto his bow and began scanning the area for any threats while Ellie worked on the gate. Link knew this was only for show as he hadn't heard any infected that were close enough to pose any real threat. Only a moment later was Ellie able to open the gate.

"Tada! Told ya I could do it." She said as she made room for them to pass. Joel and Tess took point with Link and Ellie in the rear. "Hey sorry for calling you elf boy and you didn't have to stick up for me, but thanks." Ellie thanked him quietly it was almost a whisper but Link heard it nonetheless. Link just waved it off as if saying 'don't worry about it'. In their one sided conversation they hadn't noticed that they had slowed their pace while Joel and Tess had pulled ahead.

"Hey you two hurry up!" Joel called to them looking quite impatient now on the other side of the street.

"Coming!" She answered back starting to pick up the pace but felt a something grab her. She turned her head to see Link stopped her. She was quite confused as to why he would stop her and noticed him rummage into his pouch.

From his pouch he pulled out a regular handgun and some clips of ammo and handed it to her as discreetly as he could so Joel and Tess wouldn't notice. "Here take it. No matter how Joel feels I'd feel much better if you had something to defend yourself with, but only use it in emergencies." He whispered to her.

"W-where did you get this?" She asked him

"I took it off some guys awhile back." Ellie was surprised that not only he trusted her enough with a gun but that if he had it for a while why hadn't he used it himself. As if he read her mind he answered her question. "I don't like using guns they're too loud and I prefer my bow better." He said while rubbing his right ear. Understanding the message she nodded and with that he quicken his pace leaving Ellie behind.

As Ellie stood there staring at Link's fleeting form she thought to herself that Link was a nice guy albeit a bit strange at times. She tucked her handgun away in a safe place before following after with a small smile.

Once Ellie caught up with the group Tess and Joel were busy trying to come up with a game plan. "So where are we going?" Ellie asked

"You see that church tower over there?" Tess pointed towards a tower in the distance to this Ellie simply nodded. "If we know Bill as well as we think we do than he's probably there."

"Okay then now that we've got that figured out let's search these houses, so let's split up Tess you're with me and that leaves you muncki-" Joel didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as he was cut off by Ellie.

"Whoa whoa whoa hold your horses cowboy how do we know you won't try and ditch us huh!?" Ellie had her arms crossed as she gave Joel a nasty glare. Joel wanted to refute this, but never got the chance to.

"She's right you know." Link spoke up. "You out of all of us have been so insistent on leaving us."

Joel was standing there listening to them belittle him and while the idea crossed his mind he just didn't want to be stuck babysitting even if he was paired with Link he prefered Tess's company more. "Now you two listen here I'm not you father or your babysitter, But whether I like it or not I'm stuck with ya!" He said sounding extremely agitated and kinda ticked Ellie of when he said 'babysitter'. "But don't think for one second that I owe you anything!" He practically yelled the last part out. The tension between the three was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Tess knew that ever since the incident at the Capitol building that the tension was building up and it was gonna come out sooner or later and she was glad it was sooner rather than later, but now she had to end this before it escalated. "Okay now break it up you three!" She said getting in between them and putting her hands on her hips. "Now this is how it's going to go Ellie you're with Joel." She said in a commanding tone.

"With him no way!" She protested not wanting to be paired up with Joel.

"I don't want to hear it young lady now that's final!" She said in a motherly tone. Ellie wanted to continue protesting, but one look at Tess and she knew there was no point. "That just leaves you and me Kid." To this Link simply nodded.

Joel didn't like this new arrangement, but didn't bother protesting because he knew when Tess got this way there was no arguing with her. "Alright then we'll take this house and you two search down there." He said sounding extremely annoyed and with that they went their separate ways.

Link was now walking down the street with Tess and looking around he continued to be amazed at just how advanced this world was granted most of it looked like it had seen better days. He's seen cities with large structures as big as mountains, horseless carriages, and a giant serpent-like vehicle. But, while he enjoyed what this world had to offer he felt pity for it since it had been in chaos for who knows how long.

While walking in silence he thought about Joel and Ellie and wondered if it was wise to pair them together and looking up at Tess he saw she had a worried expression on her face.. "Do you think it was a good decision to leave those two alone together?" Link asked waiting patiently for a reply

"Honesty I don't know, but what I do know is that we're stuck together and I feel that the sooner we get rid of this tension the better." Link had to agree because if they were traveling together it was best to get rid of any tension within the group, the only problem was that it may have been too soon.

While walking they came across a rundown music store, it's door had been broken down and the glass windows shattered. Believing this place was as good as any to start searching they went in and were greeted with shelves upon shelves pack full of music and various posters littered on the wall. "Hey you like music kid?" Tess asked Link as she made her way to the shelves and looked through some of the records.

"Yeah I love it, I'm actually a musician myself." He replied as he walked up to her wondering what she was looking through.

"Really!? what do you play?" She asked honestly curious as she continued to look through the records.

"It's called an Ocarina and what are those you keep looking through?" He asked pointing to at the records.

"A Ocacena?" She said trying to think what an Ocacena looked like.

"Ocarina." He corrected firmly

"Oh okay and these are called records." She said grabbing one and showing it to him. "Now if only we had a record player than we could play this bad boy." Finally getting the idea he realized that these records were a form of music and his eyes lit up realizing that this was a chance to experience this world culture. To an explorer like Link this was an exciting prospect and so he set about finding a record player.

Noticing there was two rooms in the back one was blocked and the other was completely open, he ran over yelling. "I'll be right back!" Tess smiled as she watched Link eyes lit up and then run to the backroom with child-like excitement. She was reminded of her own son whom she failed to protect. Shaking away the bad memory she turned her attention to look for records in case Link found one.

Link was now in the backroom looking for a record player the only problem was he had no idea what a record player even looked like. He did however find an old dusty guitar that had one of it's guitar strings broken which he pocketed since it would be simple to fix especially since in a nearby box there were old guitar string packages. The only other things in there was a makeshift knife and some ammo. Deciding there was nothing else he walked back out and saw Tess look at him with an expecting look, but sadly he shook his head to which she gave a sigh of disappointment.

Remembering there was two doors he positioned himself to the other and saw it was slightly ajar. Attempting to open it he found that it was blocked by something, undeterred he unsheathed his sword and hacked the door to pieces. With the door now gone it revealed that the door had been barricaded with a red couch and what smelled like something was rotting coming from inside. Looking inside all he saw was darkness reaching into his pouch he pulled out a black cylinder object called a flashlight, he had gotten it from one of the soldiers they killed in the snake's chamber as Link called it, and turned it on. Now able to see he saw it was a small room painted a pale green with posters lining the walls. What caught his eye however was the body sitting at the far end hunched over.

Moving towards the body he saw that said body had been here for sometime as it was already very badly decomposed with flies swarming around him. This skeleton was hunched over some items as if he was holding or hugging them when he died. A strange box that reminded him of Guru Guru's music box. It was a metal tube that connected to a wooden box and protruded outwards and looked like a flower. In the middle of the wooden box was a black circle and next to it was a type of needle that could be moved back and forth. The whole thing looked in very good condition albeit dusty. Believing he had found it he made to pick it up, but the skeleton had a firm grasp on it it was like even in death he wouldn't let go of his treasure. Shaking the record player it took a while for the Skeleton to lose it's grip and fall off it's chair. When the skeleton's skull impacted the floor it cracked and maggots spilled from it's sockets. With the skeleton now on the floor it revealed some of the other contents on the desk. Other than twelve records, that were probably this person's favorites, there was nothing of interest. He pocketed the record player before he pocketed the records and then left to head back out to Tess.

As he left he could swear he heard someone say 'GIVE THEM BACK!' Turning around he shined his light into the room and saw a ghostly appirition hovering over the skeleton. giving a short bow he said "I give you my honor that I will take care of them." He proclaimed proudly. The ghost didn't want to believe him, but when he said the gentle and caring look in his eyes of a fellow music lover he subsided and with a smile on his face he disappeared.

Tess had seen Link tear the door to pieces and then go inside, but he was sure taking his sweet time in there. Getting ready to head over see what was taking Link so long when he emerged, but turned around and gave a short bow before muttering something. Turning back to her she saw him reach into his pouch and pull out the record player. "This it?" He said sounding excited and hopeful at the same time.

"Yeah! Nice score kid!" She said getting swept up in the kids excitement. Link was beaming that he found it and place it back in one of his pouches where he kept all of his miscellaneous objects when they heard a loud noise. Tess knowing what this meant handed felt annoyed since none of the records interested her, but Link noticing her expression pulled out some records before putting them back. She smile as they headed towards the noise. 'Man I love this kid' She thought

Moving quickly into an alley they almost ran into a trap, but saw it just in time to move under it and into a back area. "Hey!" They heard a familiar voice call out to them. Turning left they saw Ellie running up to them with Joel leisurely jogging. "So what did you find." She asked.

"Just some ammo, a shiv, and the kid found a record player and we've got some records." Tess answered.

"Nicee dude!" She exclaimed giving Link a playful punch on the shoulder and received a wide smile from Link.

"Alright settle down Ellie." Joel said with a small smile as he watched the two. "Now come on let's get going."

They continued down the back alley until they found a body nearby that had three arrows sticking out of it and further ahead of that was blocked by a truck with a couch on top of it and a fence, but lucky there was a ladder lying down in front of the truck.

Looking at the corpse Ellie said "Whoa! Is Bill any good with a bow?" Tess had a look of amusement when she noticed Link's frown when Ellie said 'good'.

"I reckon he is.' Joel replied plainly while Link scoffed catching Joel's attention. "Got something to say kid" He added while he went to go place the ladder.

"Oh nothing, it's just he's decent at best." Link answered sounding annoyed

"What makes you say that?" Ellie asked

"You see the arrows?" Ellie nodded as he got closer to the body. "Well, if he was good and if he shot these arrows from where I think he did then he wouldn't have need three arrows". Tess's grinned at Link's elitist attitude.

"Well how do you know he didn't kill with one and the others are for good measure or that this was used for target practice." Ellie added.

\"Well look where the arrows are one in the stomach, one below the ribs, and one in the heart." He said pointing at each arrow. "If he killed him with a single shot then he wouldn't need the other two, but he needed three and likely based on how that ladder was laying on the ground he was probably shot and had to retreat and based on the wounds this happened a few days ago." Ellie was impressed by how much he got out by looking at coupse albeit she was still skeptical, but decided against voicing it.

"Alright if Green Arrow here is done let's get moving." Joel said leaning against the truck with his arms crossed. Moving towards Joel they made their way up the ladder one by one where they found some dried blood on the armchair and a discarded bow and some arrows behind the chair it brought some legitimacy to Link's claim. The discovery of the bow brought on the argument of who should be the one to use it. Initially Joel wanted to give it to Link since he was the best archer in the group, but Link shot it down since he liked his bow and didn't want to adjust to another. This left Joel and Ellie as the main arguers since Tess wasn't any good with a bow in which it was decided that Joel would be the one to use it.

The rest of the way was relatively uneventful other than Ellie nearly dying of a heart attack when Joel entered a building when they heard a loud banging on a steel door. The door itself led to someone's apartment who had already become infected and attacked them, but other than that it was smooth sailing. The only problem came when when they had to set off one of Bill's traps in order to proceed the trap. The trap itself left Link momentarily deaf which confused the others since they've seen Link use bombs before and seemed perfectly fine to which they learned that while Link has superhuman hearing his ears are sensitive to high pitch sounds. They waited awhile for Link's hearing to come back before continuing with Link's head still ringing he was unable to catch Ellie mutter something about getting a dog whistle

As they came up to a steel door Joel made sure everyone was ready before opening it, once he did though he was caught by one of Bill's traps and drag across the floor where he ended up suspended five feet in the air by a thick metal chain. It wouldn't have been so bad if the warehouse they were in wasn't filled with infected and the noise caused from the trap had attracted other infected to Joel's position.

Thinking quickly Link sprang into action drawing his sword and shield. "Ellie, Tess cover me!" He yelled as he cleaved an infecteds head off in an attempt to get to Joel before the infected did. Tess immediately whipped out her pistol and shot a few infected that were getting a little too close to Joel who in turn was also shooting any who came a little too close for comfort. Seeing Link was getting surrounded she made to get some of them off him, but before she could aim she heard the familiar loud bang of a handgun go off as she watched as three of the infected slumped down and died. Turning her head she saw Ellie had a gun in her hands, but she didn't dwell on it long as they still had infected to dispose of and it was nice to know they had an extra gunner.

As Joel was hanging upside down he found it hard to shoot properly and while his traveling companion struggled to save him he couldn't help, but feel that he was a damsel in distressed. This was emphasized even further when he heard a sudden click signifying his gun was out of ammo. "Shit!" He muttered All he had left was his rifle which would be harder to shoot because of the angle, but also dangerous since it took too much time to aim and reload it after each shot. There was always the bow, but all his arrows fell out when he was dragged across the floor and hanged and for some odd reason he never carried a knife so he was left with no choice but to pull out his rifle Looking into the scope he fired a shot that went through two of the infecteds heads.

Unfortunately due to his decreased field of view he failed to notice he was about to be blindsided as an infected grabbed onto him and was preparing to bite into him. Closing his eyes he waited for the excruciating pain that was sure to follow, but it never came. Opening his eyes he saw the infected teeth mere inches from his face before it slumped down dead. "Your welcome!" A small young voice called out. Turning to the direction of the voice he saw it was Ellie. Taking this chance he did his best to reach the chain around his leg and use it to climb out of harms way.

Meanwhile Link was skillfully cleaving through infected and using his shield to keep some at a distance while trying to reach Joel, but every time he killed one, three more took it's place. Link had no trouble killing the mindless creatures the only problem was they never stopped coming and he still needed to get Joel free and lastly to top it off Joel was out of ammo. If he wanted to get everyone out alive he'd need to to do something drastic. Channeling some magic into his sword until it shone with a golden light and with a mighty spin he unleashed a wave of magic that tore apart all in it's way. Acting quickly he put away his sword and shield before swinging his right arm to his left side and leaving it hovering just over his left hand all in one swift motion with a look of extreme concentration on his face.

All present had a look of surprise as they saw Link push the infected back with some kind of spin, but it quickly turned to one of shock and confusion as they saw him put away his weapons and go into some kind of stance. They all had mixed reactions as they continue to watch him when he paid no mind to the infected closing in on him fast. Tess wanted to yell at him to move, Ellie swore she was gonna kick his ass if they lived through this, and Joel who had a better look at Link wondered what was going through his mind. They continued to stare at him like he was crazy and tried their best to keep the infected off him, completely unaware of what was about to happen in the next four seconds.

One. As if out of nowhere a bright red light began to glow between Link's palms and grabbed every single infected present attentions. Two, the glowing red light turned into a orb of fire comprised of golden flames. Three, Link quickly thrusted the orb in the floor and instantaneously a dome of fire encased him and burned any infected that had gotten to close. The dome stood there unyielding to the monsters around it flaunting its power daring any stupid enough to stand in it's way. Four, as if the dome had grown tired of the foul and disgusting creatures who had once been mere men it expanded outwards burning everything in it's path leaving not even ash until all the infected in the warehouse were gone, leaving the structure virtually untouched and the few infected outside seem hesitant to approach.

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Outside a few feet away from the warehouse walked a plump man with slicked back brown hair wearing worn out clothes. He had on a blue vest over a beige jacket with simple brown pants and boots. He also carried a medium sized backpack where he kept his supplies he found in town and he kept a machete hooked to his pants. On his face he had on a gas mask, probably because he had recently come from a spore infest area, but it left some of his white skin on his forehead perfectly exposed. This is the man that the group had been searching for, this was the man known as Bill

Making his usual patrols around town for supplies and making sure it was secure. He was almost done with his patrol too when out of nowhere he witnessed the most strangest things, a bright golden light that gave off so much heat he could feel it from where he stood and then just as quickly as it came it was gone.

"What the hell!" Bill shouted as he carefully made his way to the warehouse.

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There was a distinct hissing that rang through her ears and she could smell the disgusting odor of burnt flesh. Ellie slowly opened her eyes and to her surprise she was still standing, still breathing, and still very much alive. Last she remembered was golden flames rushing to her and the burning bodies of the infected around them. She also remembered her body tensing as she faced her impending death. Knowing there was no point in running and closed her eyes waiting for the pain of her blood boiling and her flesh melting of her bones, but it never happened. All she felt was warmth. No, the fire hadn't burned her, but put her at ease, made her feel safe as if this damn apocalypse never happened.

Snapping herself out of her thoughts she looked next to her to see Tess still had her eyes firmly clenched, but was virtually fine. Reaching out she shook her a bit which startled her and elicited a small 'eep' from the grown women as their eyes meant. Ellie's shone with amusement and Tess was red in the face and had a look that said 'Don't ever tell anyone what you heard'. Rolling her eyes Ellie began to take in her surroundings and quickly found the conjurer of said flame as he stood up shakily. He looked like he had just run a marathon, his face was caked in sweat and his breathing was ragged. He even had to stop himself from falling over as he tried to take a step forward, but managed to catch himself. However, he managed to catch his breath and drew his sword running towards the fridge that acted as a weight and kept Joel suspended in midair. With a quick swipe of his sword he cut through the chains and Joel landed with a heavy thump.

Groaning Joel said "Couldn't you have given me a little heads up." Joel slowly got up and noticed the infected just outside the warehouse, but what confused him was why weren't they coming in until his eyes lit up with realization. "They're afraid?" To Joel they had alway been mindless creatures, but here they showed themselves to be much more, maybe even sentient. Don't get it twisted though he would still rather destroy every single one of them than ever endulge the idea to ever study them. Noticing Ellie and Tess were looking in their direction he motioned for them to come over as he was too afraid to call out to them lest he attract the infected.

Nodding Ellie and Tess made their way over to them just as Bill came barreling in guns blazing. "Hands up!" The group turning to the newcomer with nervous expression as they heard the infected snap out of their fear and back into action. "Shit!" He groaned and turned back to the group as they ran in his direction. "Follow me!" He said when he quickly realized it Joel and Tess coming his way.

With Infected on their heels they made it out of the warehouse and Bill cut through a chain that slammed the shutter doors shut. Quickening his pace Bill made it to the front of the group as infected spawned all over the place hungry for fresh flesh and led them through an alley where there a locked steel door waited at the end. Fumbling with his keys he grew irritated when Joel told him to hurry, it didn't help that there were infected storming into the alley.

Getting into position Link, Tess and Ellie began to fire away trying to buy Bill time. It got worse when Tess and Ellie ran out of ammo leaving Link the sole gunner and they could see he was running out of arrows, but thankfully he was effectively slowing them down thanks in part to the already death infected littered about which helped in slowing them down. With their hearts beating a mile a second and their adrenaline on high it felt like an eternity when Bill finally got the door open and he quickly ushered them. Link was the last to enter and afterwards the door was quickly slammed shut.

The building they found themselves in looked to be a small store, but due to the circumstances they found themselves running towards the only visible door where they were met with two runners and one clicker who were easily taken down by Link and Bill. With Bill in the lead Link took the rear since his companions were currently defenseless and as soon as they got out of the store they heard the store's backdoor give way and fall to the floor. Shooting any that got to close for comfort he followed them through a truck trailer. Seeing Bill attempt to open a door ahead of them Link looked behind him and saw infected begin to spill out of the trailer. Turning around he did his best to slow down the incoming threat, but he alone could only do so much.

"Link!" He heard three voices call his name just as he heard a door slam behind him.

'Great!' He thought as he faced the horde alone.

* * *

So how was it? And yeah I tried to make a John Cena joke. I know I'm lame. ^_^


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